Category: Spiritual Growth (Page 4 of 4)

Church Dropouts

May 4, 2022 / BroClo-Blogger-2022 / 0 Comments

Why do people quit going to church? It’s an oft-asked question. A 2006 poll by LifeWay Research supplied some interesting answers (see the chart below). All the respondents were adults who had stopped attending church regularly. The average length of time these adults had been out of duty was 14 years.

Several things stand out on this list. First, the majority of the excuses blame someone or something for falling away: family, job, cliques, or church members somehow caused the member to stop attending. It’s the other person’s fault. Second, the excuses seem awfully shallow. They remind me of student excuses for not doing homework: “My dog ate it.” Third, they consistently reflect a lack of proper priorities in life. Work, family, and distance become more important than a deep and personal spirituality; more important than a nurturing environment with fellow Christians in the local church.

Perhaps the most glaring omission on the list was the one thing that would explain virtually everything else: Lack of personal commitment to Christ. Would it be too much for someone to simply say: “I don’t care about Christ. I don’t care about his church. I don’t care to live a godly and spiritual life.” The Lord deserves an honest answer: “Oh that there were one among you who would shut the gates, that you might not uselessly kindle fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you” (Malachi 1.10). Jesus said: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth” (Revelation 3.15f).

Commitment to Christ precedes all other commitments. It’s the absolute denial of self and a whole-hearted willingness to give up all that defines our relationship to him (Luke 9.23-26). But that devotion to him also bears fruit in devotion to others (Hebrews10.19-25). You can’t be concerned about Christ without being concerned about his people.

Thus, those who are committed to Christ are also committed to their fellow Christians in the local church. In Syrian Antioch, those who “turned to the Lord” and who resolved to “remain true to the Lord” were the same disciples who became “the church” in that community (Acts 11.21-26). In Philippi, the Christians there were concerned about needy Christians in Judea. They expressed that concern by a generous financial contribution. Even Paul, who knew them well, was impressed when, “they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God” (2 Corinthians 8.5).

The only effective way to reduce the attrition rate in local churches is to increase the commitment rate. That is, each disciple in the local church must first be whole-heartedly committed to the Lord. When that commitment is in place, things like distance and busy-ness, cliques, hypocrisy, and all other sorts of potential obstacles will not prevent someone from serving Christ.

One other observation from the survey: Over two-thirds of former churchgoers are open to the idea of returning to church. So, there are good opportunities around us to reclaim the lost and to motivate the marginal. All it takes is commitment.

Top 10 Reasons People Quit Church

Reason	Percent*
Simply got too busy	19%
Family or home responsibilities prevented attendance	17%
Church members seemed hypocritical	17%
Church members were judgmental of others	17%
Moved too far from church	17%
Work situation prevented church attendance	15%
Church was not helping me develop spiritually	14%
Stopped believing in organized religion	14%
Church was run by a clique that discouraged involvement	12%
Got divorced or separated	12%

*Survey respondents could “check all reasons that apply”, so the answers total more than 100 percent. From Life Way Research (www.lifewayresearch.com). Conducted summer 2006. Survey of 469 adults who once regularly attended church, but now no longer do. The average length of time the respondents had not reguli1rly attended was 14 years. Two-thirds of the respondents were open to the idea of regularly attending services again.

The Fundamentals of Success

May 4, 2022 / BroClo-Blogger-2022 / 0 Comments

“Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.” – Jim Rohn

I’m not an expert on motivation, or success, or self-help. Although I’ve read books about success and motivation, I’ve never completely mastered any of them, and in some areas, I’m still not very good. But I’ve studied it enough to know that the principles of success aren’t mysterious, but, in fact, are reasonably obvious. My problem isn’t knowledge, it’s application. Or more accurately, lack of application.

Now, think of this in terms of your spiritual life. I’ll reword this quotation by substituting the word “spirituality” in place of the word “success.” It would then say, “Spirituality is neither magical nor mysterious. Spirituality is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.” I find it helpful to think of spiritual growth in that way: applying a set of fundamental principles to the problems we face in our spiritual lives.

By way of application, which of these two components do you struggle with the most? Is it with learning fundamental spiritual principles? Or is it with putting the principles into practice?

This is where the discipline of self-examination becomes so critically important. Every day of every week, each of us needs to take a hard and honest look at ourselves to see where we should improve. The only way we can improve is to identify the problem, find the biblical principle that addresses the problem, and then put the principle into practice to eliminate the problem. That’s spiritual success.

As we said at the beginning, there’s nothing magical or mysterious about spiritual success. It’s a matter of applying the principles to the problem.

Jesus said it best of all: “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them” (John 13.17).

Whose Feet Do You Wash?

April 18, 2022 / BroClo-Blogger-2022 / 0 Comments

On the night of his betrayal as he celebrated the Passover meal with his disciples Jesus washed their feet (John 13.1-20). He washed the feet of men who were not worthy of him. He washed the feet of men who were clueless. He washed the feet of Peter who was full of himself. He washed the feet of Judas who was evil personified.

Afterward (v. 14-15) he said, “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.”

Will you wash feet as Jesus did? Will you wash the feet of the unworthy, the unloving, and the unwitting? Will you wash the feet of…

Your good neighbor?
Your bad neighbor?
Your white neighbor?
Your black neighbor?
Your American neighbor?
Your foreign neighbor?
Your kind neighbor?
Your unkind neighbor?
Your married neighbor?
Your divorced neighbor?
Your gay neighbor?
Your cohabiting neighbor?
Your richer-than-you neighbor?
Your poorer-than-you neighbor?
Your conservative neighbor?
Your liberal neighbor?
Your Democrat neighbor?
Your Republican neighbor?
Your Libertarian neighbor?
Your tree-hugging, ozone-watching neighbor?
Your gun-loving, camo-wearing neighbor?
Your Christian neighbor?
Your atheist neighbor?
Your Muslim neighbor?
Your homeless neighbor?
Your jobless neighbor?
Your educated neighbor?
Your addicted neighbor?
Your neighbor with the nice yard?
Your neighbor with dandelions and junk?

Do you wash feet like Jesus washed feet?

The Asymptote of Perfection

April 14, 2022 / BroClo-Blogger-2022 / 0 Comments

In geometry, “asymptote” refers to a line and a curve that get closer and closer together but never actually touch. If you really want to impress your friends and family, graph the equation y=2^x. The asymptote is x=0. When you crunch the numbers, when x is negative and gets bigger and bigger (x=-1, -2, -3, -4, etc.), y gets smaller and smaller, but never reaches 0. But enough of the geekiness!

I want you to think about a Christian’s character in relationship to God. I would suggest that it resembles an asymptote. God is the absolute standard of everything we should be. God is love. God is holy. God is righteous. God is patient. God is merciful. As God is, we should strive to be. “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5.48). Thus…

God is love, and I must become more and more like God in my love.
God is holy, and I must become more and more like God in my holiness.
God is righteous, and I must become more and more like God in my righteousness.
God is patient, and I must become more and more like God in my patience.
God is merciful, and I must become more and more like God in my mercy.

We are to grow more and more Godlike in our character, but in this life, we’ll never fully reach his perfection. We’ll grow and grow, but never completely reach our full potential. In other words, God’s perfection and our growth form a moral and spiritual asymptote.

Obviously, that’s easier said than done!

However, we should be encouraged by the fact that Jesus still expected it of his followers. I don’t think Jesus’ point in Matthew 5.48 is that we will, or even can, become morally flawless people. I think he was stating it to put before us an ideal that keeps us perpetually moving in a godward direction.

I think the apostle Paul understood this concept when he said, “Not that I have already obtained it [the resurrection from the dead] or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained” (Philippians 3.12-16).

Paul said to press on. To keep getting closer and closer to the prize. To get closer and closer to the reality of heaven. Paul was saying to keep our eyes on the goal, keep our eyes on the standard, but at the same time worry less about the arrival, and more about getting there.

Humiliation or Humility?

April 14, 2022 / BroClo-Blogger-2022 / 0 Comments

I knew that some day it would come. I just wasn’t ready for it when it happened. But there it was, in the mail. In the upper left corner of the plain white envelope were four letters: AARP. I was being scouted by the geezers.

Its optimistic tone couldn’t mask the baleful implications of its message: “Our records indicate that you are already missing out on great benefits, yada, yada, yada.” Well, their records were wrong! At the time, I wasn’t even fifty years old – at least in that regard I was like Jesus (John 8.57).

Regardless, the signs were already there. My youngest child is the only one to not remember me having hair. When I played football or basketball with my son, I was in pain for days. My oldest daughter could outrun me. My clothing began shrinking at an alarming rate. My forehead got taller and taller. My cholesterol had far outstripped my IQ.

Could geezerdom be far behind?

As I pondered the letter, and my reaction to it, I first thought to myself that it was a humbling experience. That wasn’t quite true. It would be more accurate to say that it was a humiliating experience. To humiliate is to “make (someone) feel ashamed and foolish by injuring their dignity and self-respect” (Oxford American Dictionary). To humble someone can have the same meaning (at least in English), although it primarily means to “lower (someone) in dignity or importance” (Oxford).

In Biblical thought, to be humbled is to be brought low. Humility is lowliness of spirit. It’s not so much having a poor opinion of yourself, your accomplishments, or your abilities; rather it’s simply not allowing self to enter the picture. Paul said that humility involved regarding others as more important than you and considering what’s in the best interest of others before considering your own interests (Philippians 2.3-4).

Where humiliation and humility differ is in their origin. Humiliation originates with our egos. When we’re humiliated, it’s because our egos have been bruised. We think, “How dare they do that to me!” Humility originates with a conscious decision to quit thinking of self. Self isn’t allowed an opinion about how others treat us. So then, if we’re injured or ridiculed, there’s no need to react with shame or embarrassment because we realize our self-worth is unchanged. We think, “The Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?” (Hebrews 13.6)

Too often we react from an inflated ego rather than a humble spirit. Insults and injuries (real or imagined) ignite us in a moment. In our minds we have something at stake, something to defend, and we react accordingly.

Jesus expects more from his followers. It’s no wonder Jesus said that to be a disciple, a man “must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me” (Luke 9.23). Step one is self-denial. In this we’re only following Jesus’ own example: “And while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Peter 2.23). Perhaps the reason we do so poorly in applying this is because we’ve never mastered step one.

Humility is liberating because it allows us to function in a variety of circumstances, good or bad. When self is no longer the reference point of our existence, we’re free to pursue other, more worthwhile things. Such humility enabled Paul to say, “Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12.10).

For most of us, the biggest source of misery is not age, illness, money or persecution. Our greatest source of misery is self. So long as self holds first place in our lives, we may expect regularly to be humiliated.

And as for me and my mail: “The Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid. What will AARP do to me?”

Inertia

April 14, 2022 / BroClo-Blogger-2022 / 2 Comments

Do you remember in science class a thing called “inertia”? The popular definition is that “bodies at rest stay at rest, bodies in motion stay in motion.” It’s why a car traveling 60 mph don’t easily stop. It’s also why a car sitting at a stoplight takes a few moments to get back up to speed.

Inertia may also explain Mondays and Fridays. When we’re at rest, we tend to stay at rest. Mondays come and we’ve been relaxing for a few days, and inertia makes it difficult to start. Likewise on Fridays we’ve been hard at work for several days, and inertia makes it difficult to slow down.

How do you prevent inertia from taking control of your life? How do you overcome it when you’re sluggish and don’t want to start? How do you slow it down when you need to relax?

One verse that has always been helpful to me is Psalm 118.24: “This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” If I knew nothing at all about this verse, it would still be a boost for me when I’m struggling.

However, if we dig deeper, it has even more significance. Psalm 118 is a thanksgiving psalm that begins with a familiar formula: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his lovingkindness is everlasting” (v 1). Psalms 113-118 are called “Hallel”, which is the Hebrew verb meaning “to praise.” These six psalms were recited during various festivals, but especially at Passover.

Matthew 26.30 says, “After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” Here, Jesus had just celebrated his last Passover with the apostles, and then inaugurated the Lord’s Supper. The “hymn” they sang was the Hallel, including Psalm 118. Think about Jesus’ situation. He’s about to be betrayed by one of his own apostles; it’s the eve of his death; it’s the moment for which he came to earth. He’ll soon ask his Father to remove this cup of “nameless dread”. And on the next day, he’ll die for the sins of the world.

Yet he could still say, “This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Friends, if Jesus could find joy as he faced the cross, surely, we can find a bit of joy in whatever circumstances we face. Maybe we’re feeling sluggish at work, or burdened with care, or hurting, or sad, or tired or just plain grumpy. Nonetheless, we have reason for joy.

“This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Drifting Into Goodness

April 6, 2022 / BroClo-Blogger-2022 / 0 Comments

In 1982, author Anne Herbert wrote a book titled, Random Acts of Kindness. The title was a phrase coined by her to counteract a then-popular phrase, “random acts of violence.” Ever since then, we are often encouraged practice these “random acts of kindness.”

I certainly agree that we should practice kindness in our everyday lives. However, to say that kindness is something done randomly misses the mark. Kindness isn’t random, any more than evil is random. Kindness and evil are both character traits we consciously pursue.

William George Jordan said, “Man does not drift into goodness… the chance port of an aimless voyage. He must fight ever for his destination.”

He reminds us that character never happens by chance, only by choice. At some point, we decide to do the right thing, we decide to become a certain kind of person. And every component of our character – goodness, faithfulness, compassion, nobility, love, integrity – results from choices we make and actions we take.

In other words, decide if you want to be good, or decide if you want to be bad. But don’t blame your circumstances or your peers or your parents or your teachers or your church or your stars. And don’t say that you just randomly did something. The choice was yours all along.

There’s a certain irony to all of this. What if you choose not to choose? What if you just don’t want to decide? The irony is that by not choosing, you’ve already chosen. If you don’t want to be good, in essence, you’ve chosen to be bad. Or at least you’ve chosen to be indifferent toward the good. Maybe not as bad as you could be. Maybe not pure evil, like Hitler. But by not choosing the good, you’ve settled for something less than good.

All of this has a biblical basis. The writer of the book of Hebrews, uses the same metaphor of drifting” when he says, “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it” (Hebrews 2.1).

Aimless drifting isn’t idyllic, it’s dangerous. It’s the shortest route to moral shipwreck.

Vestigial Organs & the Body of Christ

March 30, 2022 / BroClo-Blogger-2022 / 0 Comments

Do you have a function in the body of Christ?

The short answer is yes. The apostle Paul said, “For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ” (1 Corinthians 12.12, NASB).

Christ’s church is described as a body about seventeen times in the NT. This metaphor emphasizes that each member of Christ’s body (each Christian) has a function to perform, just like the parts of the human body.

To put it another way, there’s no such thing as a vestigial organ in the body of Christ. Do you remember “vestigial organs” from high school biology? A vestigial organ is a body part that has no apparent function. It includes things like the appendix, body hair, or the tail bone. It can also include bodily reflexes like goose bumps and hiccups.

That won’t work in the body of Christ. Earlier I read from 1 Corinthians 12. Twice in that chapter, and again in Romans 12 and Ephesians 4, Paul gives lists of spiritual gifts or spiritual abilities. Those gifts are for the good of the body, and each person must use the gifts they have to help the body.

How do you know your function in the body of Christ? What gifts or abilities do you have? There are several ways to answer that. One easy way is to start with the needs that you see around you, especially in the local church. What needs to be done?

One answer comes in the form of a prayer I found several years ago written by T. L. and LaDonna Osborn in their book, New Miracle Life Now. It reads:

HEAVENLY FATHER,
When there is a need for teaching, TEACH through me.
When there is need for truth, SPEAK through me.
When there is a need for love, LOVE through me.
When there is a need for music, SING through me.
When there is a need for understanding, LISTEN through me.
When there is need for guidance, ADVISE through me.
When a gift is needed, GIVE through me.
When a helping hand is needed, REACH and TOUCH through me.
In Jesus’ Name I pray this prayer, AMEN!

Remember, you have a place and a function in the body of Christ. So, find something that needs doing in the body of Christ, and do it! Don’t be a vestigial organ!

Why Did You Start?

March 8, 2022 / BroClo-Blogger-2022 / 0 Comments

“Think about why you started.”

I saw this quote today attributed to that ubiquitous and prolific author, “Unknown”. It’s not bad advice if you’re thinking about quitting.

Thinking about quitting your diet? Why did you begin?
Thinking about quitting your exercise regimen? Why did you start?
Thinking about quitting your job? What motivated you in the first place?
Thinking about quitting a relationship? Church? A significant life goal? Why did you ever start?

That’s not to say that we should never quit anything. Some diets probably aren’t that effective. Some exercise regimens might hurt more than they help. Some jobs were never meant to be permanent. But especially with significant things in life, the question should at least be asked.

I would also suggest it’s good motivation for Christians. To me, it nicely encapsulates the message of the book of Hebrews. The book was apparently written to Jewish Christians who were struggling with their faith in Christ. They had been Christians long enough to know the fundamentals (Hebrews 5.11-14). They already had demonstrated good works and commitment (6.9-12), and had already been through some stout persecution (10.32-39).

As they looked back at the familiar and comfortable ways of Judaism, the writer also urges them to look back as well. First he simply reminds them of the greatness of Christ. By giving up on their allegiance to Jesus, they were giving up something that could not be replaced. Jesus was God’s last word to mankind (1.1ff). He was greater than the angels themselves (chapter 1), greater than Moses (chapter 3), Joshua (chapter 4), and Aaron (chapter 5). His ministry, tabernacle, priesthood, sacrifices, and covenant were without rival (chapters 7-10). As they looked back to Jesus and to his greatness, it should evoke powerful memories of why they followed him in the first place.

Then, near the end of the book, he also asks them to look back upon their experiences. At 10.32ff, he asks them to “remember the former days”. He doesn’t ask them to think only of the good times, but in a move that would shock any self-respecting life coach, he asks them to remember their suffering. It was in that suffering, and in their response to it, that the depth of their commitment could be clearly seen. In that suffering they experienced joy and hope (10.34).

At 13.3, he tells them to remember their fellow prisoners. Those with whom they had suffered; those who were still suffering. It’s hard to turn your back on people you love. It’s hard to ignore those with whom you have the most in common.

Finally, at 13.7, he says to remember their leaders, those who taught them the gospel. Most of us came to Christ through the influence of someone significant. We should never forget them.

Whenever you’re struggling in your faith, look backward and ask, “Why did I start?” It should help cure you of the desire to stop.

For today, look backward.